It can be hard to deny that the
internet, specifically social media, is quite significant to our lives today.
We get to see what’s going on around our country or even around the world and
even share about our own lives. But if you take a step back and really think
about it, does everything in social media really have any significance to our
lives?

If you think about it, there are a
lot of times that social media does you more harm than good. Need more
convincing? Here are some reasons to take a break from social media.

You regain all your free time

The important word here is that you “regain”. You don’t get more free time, you already have it, you’re just not using it right. Let’s say you want to try out a new hobby but what’s stopping you is that you’re saying you don’t have time. Then if you reflect on your daily activities, you’re spending 2-3 hours scrolling on your phone, sometimes even mindlessly. That’s already enough time for you to try out something new!

You learn to stop comparing
yourself with others

Another great reason to try a
social media detox is that you’ll be able to stop comparing yourself with
others. A lot of people say you shouldn’t compare yourself because others only
share the positive moments that happen to them and never the negative ones. But
thinking that way won’t have much effect if you keep seeing people having
better lives than you. When you’re away from social media, you’ll see that you
actually are just as blessed as these people.

You don’t really miss out much

Kiasu orthe fear of missing out, is a trait that many Singaporeans consider to be a double-edged sword. This is mostly the reason why we have a hard time stepping away from social media. We’re anxious that we’ll miss out on news about our friends, or the latest trends in fashion, or uploads from our favorite vloggers. Once you do a social media detox, you’ll realize that you actually don’t miss out much. Just try it and you’ll see!

You can avoid negativity

As said earlier, social media can
sometimes do more harm than good. We all have that one friend on Facebook who
criticizes almost anything or that person you follow on Twitter who just rants
every day about his/her life. Sometimes, as small as these things can be, they
can influence our thoughts and trigger negative emotions.

You can enjoy a little privacy

Something that we usually disregard
when it comes to social media is that we’re giving away a little too much about
ourselves. We directly share about ourselves through pictures, but there’s also
a lot that goes on behind the scenes. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, for
example, usually ask for your location when posting or uploading pictures.
Basically, the more accounts we make, the more we expose ourselves.

So let’s
say you’re at a museum exhibit, just walking around, when unexpectedly you
strike up a conversation with a girl. She’s pretty and just about your age, you
talk and walk with each other for about 20 minutes and have a really fun time.
Before you leave, you pick up the courage to ask for her number… but then she
refuses.

This is an
all too common scenario no matter where you are in Singapore. Whether at
nightclubs, parks, beaches, and etc. And before you feel bad about yourself, be
rational and know that there can be simple reasons why a girl doesn’t give you
her number.

She’s not
interested in romance

She might be focusing on her work, she might be close to pursuing her dreams, and she might just not be interested in dating at the moment. It’s simple, any girl can hold conversations with others without the intention of being in a relationship. She may enjoy talking or she may like your company, but it doesn’t mean that she wants you to be her boyfriend already. The simplest things to do initially is just not to assume things!

She’s
already in a relationship

This is
also another obvious reason why she won’t give you her number. Although there
are some girls who say it outright once you start talking to them, it is
important to consider beforehand the possibility of them being in a
relationship. She may be out with her friends at a club or bar, but it doesn’t
mean she doesn’t have a boyfriend or even a husband. Sometimes girls in
relationships and talk with guys as long as everything stays neutral. So clear
everything up before asking her for her number.

She just
had a breakup

Opposite the point above, even when a girl is not in a relationship, there’s also the possibility of a recent breakup. Everyone handles breakups differently. One can get over his/her ex in 2 years and one can do so in a month or even a week maybe. In this case, if you meet a girl when she’s still getting over a breakup, you’ll surely have a difficult time asking for her number or talking with her casually.

She’s not
attracted to you

Now, calm
down, this doesn’t exactly mean you’re ugly! There are hundreds of guys who are
good-looking but don’t land a date with a girl they like. Just like how you can
have preferences or “ideal types”, girls can too. Some girls can like tall
guys, short guys, skinny guys, muscular guys. She might like your voice, or she
might hate the way you move, there are some many reasons why a girl can like or
unlike you.

Everything
above sounds a bit harsh, huh? Not exactly! Even if there are reasons why a
girl doesn’t give her number, there can be just as many reasons for another one
to like you! So just be you!

When you get home after a busy day at work, the last thing
you want to do is to endure a war over broccoli at the dining table. That is
why parents fall easily into the trap of fried chicken or ordering out. It’s
just priceless not having to chant ‘eat your veggies’ after a very tiring day.
Fortunately, feeding picky eaters with nutritious food isn’t as difficult with
these helpful tips.

Pancakes, cereals and muffins are
just some of the foods kids love. Try to incorporate fruits and veggies into
these already-favorite choices to get your kids eating healthy. For example,
offer carrot cake or muffins, banana pancakes and fresh fruit slices over
cereals.

Schedule
your meal and snack time

Establish regular meal and snack
time to address behavior changes in your children. Kids are smart. They will
skip dinner because they know they can ask for snack later on. If you always
give in to their requests, they will continue doing this pattern every night.
Your goal is to establish expectation from them that meals and snacks happen at
a certain time. This lets children to feel hunger when it’s time to eat, and
provides better chances that they will eat whatever is served to them.

Always have
healthy snacks available

Even if you have set meal and snack times, sometimes kids just look for something to much on throughout the day. And even if they sneak to the fridge, having healthy finger foods readily available in a reachable area will encourage them to pick it up and eat it. Slice up some apples and carrots and keep the chips and cookies far from your kids’ sight.

Get kids
involved with meal planning

From grocery shopping to meal planning, get your kids involved. In the grocery, skip the chips lane and go straight to the fresh produce area. Let them pick their choice of fruits and veggies. When meal planning, ask your children to pick out two to three recipes that they would like to eat, then let them help you make it. If they feel a sense of autonomy over a meal, they may be more inclined to eat it.

Go moderate
with treats

Instead of cutting out the treats
altogether, offer it in moderation. A serving of Oreos with a glass of milk or
a scoop of ice cream over blueberry pancakes occasionally won’t do any harm. If
you completely cut out the treats, children will be more likely to overeat once
they get them again. Simply make sure to moderate their goodies consumption.

Above all, let this be the final point: food is fun. We do
not want to turn meal times into wars, which happens quite commonly in homes
with picky eaters. Set as a good example to your kids and encourage them to be
brave and adventurous foodies.

In order to detect depression in
children, it is critical to be mindful of the signs and symptoms. Since kids
aren’t as articulate as adults when expressing their emotions, you can’t expect
your child to turn to you and say ‘I’m depressed’ like how adults do. In fact,
they themselves may not even realize that they are already in distraught. To
save your kids from this emotional agony and bring back their youthful, joyful
outlook, pay attention to these signs no matter how subtle or extreme they may
be.

Withdrawal from Family and Friends

Looking out for this
sign can be challenging, because older kids and teens have the tendency to
withdraw themselves to their families, while they cling so much to their
friends. Ask yourself these questions to help you figure out: Are they spending
more time alone or engaged in some activities with friends? Do they often feel
and look ‘tired’? Do they want to spend more time alone in their room just by
themselves? Even the slightest differences could make a world of difference in
catching early signs of child depression

Expression of Shame, Guilt,
Worthlessness or Sorrow

This one ties closely to children with ADHD, though any children without ADHD can show these signs. The embarrassment and shame that a child with ADHD feels often exceed the actual severity of the incident. A child’s emotions can go very deep that a seven-year-old child can even think of punishing himself over a minor incident. It is the pattern of thinking that is greatly affected by the way their brain operates that needs to be professionally addressed and be treated.

Change in Appetite

Many individuals who suffer from depression notice either a sudden drop or increase of appetite. Children are no different and can also experience the same thing. Those with healthy appetite may loss interest in eating, or could be the complete opposite of eating their way out of rut.

Frequent Aches and Pains

These symptoms can come
in a form of stomach aches and headaches without any physical reason. These
symptoms could also mean that the depression treatment and medications are not
working as they need to be. If you start to notice that your child frequents in
the school clinic so much and exhibits any of the above signs, it’s probably
time to bring your child to a professional psychologist.

Being aware of these signs and
symptoms is critical for the healthy growth and welfare of your child. If these
signs seem familiar to you and you suspect that your child is in the verge of
depression, the next step to take is to seek professional help.

If
you fancy yourself a good drink to wind down after hours, and especially if you
happen to be an enthusiast of beer yourself, there’s a good chance that you’ve
heard of the term “craft beer” and how it’s started to become more popular over
the years.

But
what exactly is a “craft beer”, and how can you tell that it’s that instead of
simply being another brand name of the stuff that’s owned by a larger brewery?

The Meaning of Craft Beer

While
it’s certainly debatable, and many people have been debating it for a while,
there is a definition of that most would definitely agree on based on the three
following criteria:

Small – The brewery doesn’t distribute more than six million barrels of bear yearly;

Independent – Larger, non-craft beer breweries own only up to a quarter of the said brewery; and

Traditional – The brewery mostly produces beer that’s made from traditional ingredients for brewing and fermentation processes (but can also use innovative methods).

There
have also been a number of terms that emerged with the rising popularity of
craft beer, such as the following:

Hops – A leafy, light green flower that’s boiled down with a sweet liquid extract from malt in order to give craft beers different flavor notes, from bitter, to spicy, and even floral.

Malt – A key ingredient in brewing that’s moistened and kilned to achieve the desired effects from seed germination. The resulting beer’s color will depend on how the grains are roasted.

“Sessionable” – Used to describe beer that’s low on bitterness and alcohol, and can be consumed in more amounts in one sitting.

Microbreweries in Singapore

Craft
beer has definitely spread all over the world, and Singapore is no exception
when it comes to the craze – in fact, you can probably recognize some of the
following bars that serve great craft beer:

Alchemist
Beer Lab – When it comes to extracting flavor, they don’t use
the traditional method of cooking ingredients in high heat for a long time –
they do this instead with an infusion tower to not just make instant results,
but also add more depth to the beer’s flavor.

Burger
Joint – While the main attraction is the selection of
burgers that go with your drinks, the drinks themselves are served from Burger
Joint’s full bar of different craft beers from all over the world, including
Sweden, the UK, and Japan.

Smith
Street Taps – The only craft beer bar situated in a hawker center
certainly doesn’t disappoint with its selection of experimental brews, and the
stall has become a favorite for all kinds of beer enthusiasts in Singapore.

There
are also all kinds of craft beer that you should especially out if it’s your
first time, from Albens, to Green’s, to Hitachino Nest, and even Crossroads and
Far Yeast Brewing.

Brine
is an important component for fermenting vegetables since they provide the
environment that allows the fermentation process to take place, and the right
type of brine in the right quantity can enhance the flavors and add a lot to
the process.

When
it comes to fermenting vegetables, you want to choose your brine from one of
the following:

Salt

Salt
is one of the easiest brines to use if you’re looking to get started on your
own batches of fermented vegetables.

It
not only pulls out moisture (and allows only salt-tolerant Lactobacilli strains to thrive), but also hardens the pectins in
vegetables. This keep the vegetables crunchy while also adding to the flavor.

These
are the types of salts that can be used for fermentation:

Sea
salt – This can be refined or unrefined, and is usually
moist since it hasn’t been fully refined after being separated from sea water.

Himalayan
salt – While sea salt is extracted from the sea, Himalayan
salt is extracted from rocks, which is why it can be pinkish or reddish in
color.

Pickling salt – Similar to iodized table salt in that it has been refined. However, pickling salt lacks the iodine and anti-caking agents that are present iodized salt, and because it’s refined, it may also not be the optimal choice for fermenting.

When
using salt as a brine for fermenting fruits, condiments, and especially salsa
and chutney, do use them in smaller amounts that you would otherwise use in
vegetables.

Whey

Whey
is often used as a culture starter for lactic acid fermentation because it’s
full of healthy bacteria and enzymes that improve your gut flora, and this
makes it a great brine for vegetables.

You
can strain whey from dairy products such as yogurt, milk kefir, and even
certain cheeses or cultured buttermilk.

However, the downside of whey is that it’s dairy-based and may not be good for people who are sensitive to this. If you have lactose intolerance, this may not be the best brine for you to ferment your vegetables with.

Freeze-Dried Culture Starters

Other
types of bacterial starters can be bought in different health stores in
Singapore, or ordered online, and depending on the strain, it can be used along
with salt.

But
if these aren’t available, keep in mind that you can use substitutions for
culture starters, such as whey or even salt, and they can still be used
interchangeably in any recipe.

You
also don’t need to throw away the brine from a previous batch. In fact, this
brine can also be used for the next batch of vegetables, and this can save you
a lot of time in preparing them for fermentation.

Having
a working freezer at home is great for keeping food from spoiling, but there’s
a lot more that you can do with it than storing perishable food items.

Here
are a few things you can do with your freezer:

Emergency
cooling. You can now find a use for your plastic bottles by
filling them with water and placing them in your freezer in advance! This way,
if the power goes out or if you need something to keep your icebox contents
cool when you’re on an outdoor trip, you already have something in your freezer
that will do the trick. And if the ice melts during a hot day, you can refresh
yourself with cold water!

Cleaning jeans. While most clothes come with washing instructions, jeans are actually designed to not be washed – especially when you’re dealing with raw denim. This is to avoid breaking down the fibers in the denim. So instead of washing them, you can either turn them inside out or hang them outside in the sun, or you can place them in the freezer and let the cold kill the odor-causing bacteria.

Freshen
up shoes. The same principle also goes for shoes – simply place
them in a plastic bag and stick them in the freezer for a few hours while the
cold does the work. Not only will the cold kill the odor-causing bacteria in
your shoes, but they will also stretch your footwear and make them easier to
put on. However, you may have to freeze a bag of water and place it inside the
shoe first.

Store candles. If you’re a fan of lighting up scented candles to wind down after a long day, you’ll be glad to know that there’s a way you can make them last longer – and that’s by storing them in the fridge.

Envelope
opener. Want to open envelopes without having to tear them up?
That’s easy – stick them in the freezer! Most adhesives don’t stick well in low
temperatures, which means you can open letters and re-seal them without having
to use a letter opener and tear out the envelope. To make the adhesive work
again, simply take it out of the freezer and wait for a few hours.

Keep
sweaters from shredding. When it comes to your favorite
knitted or fuzzy sweaters, there’s nothing more annoying than seeing them shed
when they come out of the laundry. You can prevent this by simply rolling it up
inside a sealable bag and freezing it overnight.

By
doing this, you allow the low temperatures to shrink the fibers and make them
less prone to shedding.

Doing
the laundry is an essential part of daily life. When you do it right, you can
keep your clothes clean and fresh, and preserve their quality for a long time.

However,
there just as many mistakes you can make when cleaning your clothes, whether
via handwashing or laundromat. Here are a few that you may not even know that
you’re doing (until now):

1. Furiously
rubbing stains

When given enough time to set, many stains can be
difficult to remove with just rubbing them, and rubbing too fast can even make
the stain worse or just ruin the fabric.

To get around this, try dabbing stains instead of
rubbing them, and use a white cloth so that the colors won’t bleed into other
fabrics. You will have a better chance of removing stains by being gentler
towards your fabric.

2. Mixing
socks with clothes

This is another common mistake that many people make,
but while it’s easy enough to fish them out when you’re handwashing, you won’t
always be able to find the other pair when you use a washing machine.

You can solve this problem by placing your dirty socks in the laundromat first before adding in the rest of your dirty clothes. This way, you’ll be able to find them more easily.

3. You leave
dress shirts buttoned

While it’s true that zippers should be fastened when
washing them, the same isn’t the case for dress shirts. In fact, when you do
leave them buttoned when throwing them in the washing machine, you’ll only end
up ripping them off their button-holes.

To avoid this, be sure to pay attention to any
buttoned shirts and unbutton them in advance.

4. Using too
much detergent

Detergent is important for getting rid of stains,
whether you’re washing them by hand or via washing machine. However, you
shouldn’t use too much, since excess suds can get caught in certain areas and
won’t always rinse off.

Instead, use only half the detergent you usually would, and slowly add more if you feel that you’re not getting the results that you want.

5. Pouring
detergent directly on your clothes

Pouring the laundry detergent directly on clothes only
means disaster for your fabrics, especially for your fancy dress shirts. When
you’re using a washing machine, place the laundry first before adding in water,
followed by a small amount of detergent.

If you’re washing by hand, add the water first before
the detergent, and put the laundry last.

However, in the case of bleach, add the water first
before the laundry, and follow it up with a small amount of bleach.

Sleep makes us feel better, however, its importance goes past simply
having to rest our bodies from a tiresome day. Having enough sleep is a part of
a wholesome lifestyle that might benefit us in aspects like having a healthy
heart, body, and mind. Here are five things you should know to remember the
importance of sleep.

1. Poor Sleep Can Make You Gain
Weight

Surprisingly, one
of the strongest risk factors for obesity is not having enough sleep. The link between sleep and weight gain is
thought to have something to do with many different factors like genetics or
motivation to go exercise. One explanation could be that sleep duration influences
hormones regulating hunger. Another could be that loss of sleep results in
fatigue and leads to less physical activity. If you are going on a diet, going
to sleep earlier or getting more sleep is crucial.

2. Good Sleep Can Improve Concentration
and Productivity

As sleep is important for the body, it is also as important for aspects of brain function, like performance, productivity, and concentration. Being well-rested boosts our mood, acts against stress, and enhances of feeling good throughout the day. Sleep plays a significant role in learning and memory which is also important in developing productivity. With regards to concentration, an example of a sleep-deprived driver could be used. If a person suddenly crosses the road, the driver’s brain cannot process the information in time and it might lead to an accident.

3. Sleep enhances athlete’s
performance.

What athletes
do while practicing, working out, or competing shows how much they improve
physically. But what they do after determines how quickly their bodies recover
to restore nutrients and build muscle. Having enough sleep gives the body time
to rest resulting to faster rebuilding of the muscles and lowering physical
stress. This is also why gym trainers advise to get at least eight hours of
sleep to go with proper food intake.

4. Lack of sleep affects the
heart.

Sleeping too little causes disruptions in natural processes in the body like glucose metabolism, blood pressure, and etc. This is why an increased risk of heart disease and stroke can be attributed to having unhealthy amounts of sleep. Those who do not have enough sleep put themselves at risk no matter what age, weight, or habits. Getting sufficient true quality sleep is vital if you need to lower you risk of cardiovascular diseases.

5. Having enough sleep helps
against depression.

The connection between sleep and depression is a bit complicated. Depression
may cause sleep problems and having sleep problems might also contribute to
depression. Sleep problems and depression might also share risk factors and
biological capabilities and the 2 conditions might also respond to a number of
the same remedy techniques. Sleep problems also are related to greater extreme
depressive illness.